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Why call it "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" if it's not a continuation of the classic TV series of the same name? Yes, it's going to be darker, much darker, but it should still tie into the same basic chronology we know and love.

He-Man has many canons. This is but another one. MYP was also called "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and that was also a new take on the franchise.

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Originally Posted by Krueger

I can see all new incarnations of He-Man doing away with the secret identity. I think we will definitely see no secret identity in the movie. Maybe they just see it as an extra burden that’s entirely expendable?

Originally Posted by Masamune

I still think MotU needs both Adam and He-man. I don't want to see another movie where there is no Adam. We had that already.

Hollywood "overthinks" things like, why do transforming robots need spaceships or how can a poor kid come up with web fluid and not use it to become rich? I think these same people are going to come into MOTU thinking "what's the point of having a secret identity when you, your friends and your family are already the most highest profile targets on the planet to begin with?" Might as well be He-Man 24/7.

The MYP 'canon' took what was already established and expanded upon it. Some details were changed, but it remained, at heart, the MOTU we know and love. I was enjoying this mini-series as a fun anomaly, a twisted little story set in an altered timeline, but apparently the ongoing series is going to remain in this same chronology, so characters that died in issues 1-6 and the digital comics will remain dead, and characters that have been 'reimagined' are going to stay that way. This does not please me.

Well, I did not get the same impression as a lot of people about the big bad.

Upon first reading, it never even occurred to me that that might be Orko sitting there surrounded with a bunch of Trollans. I was thinking that this was a disappointing new take on Hordak, or even Horde Prime. I really hope you guys are wrong, as I really think that would completely ruin the series for me.

I didn't notice it at first either, but all the signs are there so it seems the likely scenario:

1) All the demons are blue-skinned creatures with pointy ears and glowing yellow eyes. Their legs appear to be glowing too, as if they are a magical addition that their bodies don't normally have, or perhaps are usually invisible. Like Trollans.

2) The unseen figure in the throne has a red robe and blue skin. Like Orko.

3) He wants Skeletor to no longer see him as a "minion", which is what he has apparently been known for up until this point. Like ...yeah, you guessed it.

Is Orko the Nameless One?

Last edited by Tribal Spaceman; January 31, 2013 at 04:42pm.
Reason: Plundor said so.

I just came up with an alternate theory, and put it up on the other page, but I might as well put it up here too:

The mention of Orko is a red herring to make us believe that it is him at the end, when it is, in fact Fang Man. Think about it, Fang Man was a minion of Skeletor's. He was shunted into the past which gives him ample opportunity to find mystical artifacts, gain power, as well as a host of minions, and he has the same color skin as Orko, plus, would make a great deal of sense to have those gnarly fingers. Also, that is Fang Man on the back cover of the comic.

Hordak has been too bodiless in the DC comics, so I think he's possessed Orko. He's even been talking through that red skull that looks like Hordak, and referred to Skeletor his minion, which all fits with Hordak's MO. He mentions acting the part of a fool, but that could just mean that Hordak possessed Orko and then pretended to be him for a while.

The surrounding "Trollans" could be anything--demons from Trolla, possess or transformed Trollans. The one thing we know is they look nothing like familiar Trollans, which is more than a little suspect. Also, looks like their entire torsoes are part of their mouths. Ick!

Also, everyone assumes that's Orko in the throne. But maybe it's Imp. I know, long shot, not nearly as likely as possessed Orko since He-Man has identified Okro as a traitor already. But we'll see.

I don't think the Sorceress is truly dead, or going to stay dead. If she is, I'd like to know why the didn't show Zoar disappearing (although Zoar is MIA this issue).

And less spoilery...

Teela has had several outfits in these DC comics, hasn't she? I kind of liked her first one, which now seems like the one piece to her current outfit.

Is there a site where MOTU fans can ask Keith Giffen some questions about the comic?

Originally Posted by Trodorne

So what does everyone think of the idea that everyone knows Prince Adam is really He-man?

I think it's great, but then I've always hated He-Man with a secret identity anyway (until MYP made it cooler). No more running off to transform in the middle of a fight. No crazy stories or excuses to Teela. No more false dramatic tension by keeping Adam from transforming with people around.

So what does everyone think of the idea that everyone knows Prince Adam is really He-man?

It feels like the natural outcome of things. In a way, I do like that instead of treading water and just redoing every storyline that came before, that this new DC series is just propelling things waaay forward... this feels like MOTU's present pushing forward into the future, not just a retelling of all the old Filmation and 2002 stories in order to introduce new audiences to the world of He-Man.
I look forward to the Despera/She-Ra storyline... but once that's "out of the way", it seems like we might be able to explore totally new territory with this comic book.

My problem with everyone knowing the secret identity is it cheats us of actually seeing the reactions to it. I'd rather have seen Teela learn Adam's secret, or her mother's, or Adam learn about Keldor rather than just start after everyone already knows these things and it's no longer a moment to savor. We could get flashbacks still I guess, but I feel like they just didn't have the mettle to pull off those kinds of scenes. I might have thought they didn't think we have enough emotional investment in these versions of the characters, but that didn't stop them from killing people off or completely betraying their previous portrayals for shock value.

The Power being in He-Man and the Castle being relatively unimportant is dumb IMO. I'm not sure then what the point is going to be anymore. What does Skeletor have to work towards now? Why will we bother with the Castle ever again? It's like finding out the One Ring had no power after all and the Hobbits and everyone else just had evil in their hearts all along and there's some convoluted meta-crap about how Sauron is really the unsuspecting servant of Tom Bombadil who is really the supremo-evil and has some plan to invade Middle Earth with the Keebler elves who are really demons and who even cares anymore (actually that'd be fun to watch, but not for a Tolkien fan).

RE the pacing, was this slow because they could only show a small number of redesigned characters? I notice that everyone in the tavern had their Classics designs (thank you!!!), so I wonder if that's why they took so much time.

I would like it if they stuck with Classics designs honestly, and I wish they could steal Jim Cheung away from Marvel to do the art (ha, yes, I dream).

My problem with everyone knowing the secret identity is it cheats us of actually seeing the reactions to it. I'd rather have seen Teela learn Adam's secret, or her mother's, or Adam learn about Keldor rather than just start after everyone already knows these things and it's no longer a moment to savor. We could get flashbacks still I guess, but I feel like they just didn't have the mettle to pull off those kinds of scenes. I might have thought they didn't think we have enough emotional investment in these versions of the characters, but that didn't stop them from killing people off or completely betraying their previous portrayals for shock value.

Not to keep harping on the same thing...

But that's what happens when you draw out 1-2 issues worth of story over 5 books, and then cram 2-3 issues worth of 'conclusion' into 1.

My problem with everyone knowing the secret identity is it cheats us of actually seeing the reactions to it. I'd rather have seen Teela learn Adam's secret, or her mother's, or Adam learn about Keldor rather than just start after everyone already knows these things and it's no longer a moment to savor. We could get flashbacks still I guess, but I feel like they just didn't have the mettle to pull off those kinds of scenes. I might have thought they didn't think we have enough emotional investment in these versions of the characters, but that didn't stop them from killing people off or completely betraying their previous portrayals for shock value.

In this continuity, I don't think it would have been as rewarding as it was built up in Filmation, Jetlag and MYP. Adam hiding his secret from everyone was a pretty major plot point in those shows. If Adam revealed his secret, it would have been an event to see everyone's reactions. Somehow, I don't think it would have been the same development since we are unaware of how long Adam hid his secret IF he even bothered to do so.

I like the comics as an alternate version of MOTU, but one big criticism I have is that there is no status quo established. From the rip, the world was changed Age of Apocalypse style. Everything is turned upside down, but we don't know what is normal here! That's like reading Flashpoint, Age of Apocaylpse or Heroes Reborn FIRST without knowing the worlds that they changed FROM. The digital comics are bits, pieces and spotlights, but we STILL have no idea what this new canon world is like. At least the old first issue of the original three issue DC MOTU series took the time to establish everything.

The Power being in He-Man and the Castle being relatively unimportant is dumb IMO. I'm not sure then what the point is going to be anymore. What does Skeletor have to work towards now? Why will we bother with the Castle ever again? It's like finding out the One Ring had no power after all and the Hobbits and everyone else just had evil in their hearts all along and there's some convoluted meta-crap about how Sauron is really the unsuspecting servant of Tom Bombadil who is really the supremo-evil and has some plan to invade Middle Earth with the Keebler elves who are really demons and who even cares anymore (actually that'd be fun to watch, but not for a Tolkien fan).

Yeah, Skeletor trying to get into Castle Grayskull to learn all of it's secrets is his whole gimmick. What will he do now?

Hollywood "overthinks" things like, why do transforming robots need spaceships or how can a poor kid come up with web fluid and not use it to become rich? I think these same people are going to come into MOTU thinking "what's the point of having a secret identity when you, your friends and your family are already the most highest profile targets on the planet to begin with?" Might as well be He-Man 24/7.

True, but I also doubt that whatever iteration John Chu is crafting (if he's still involved) is really following the comics. I'm sure they're busy making their own mistakes.

Wasn't there a draft of a previous script (long before Chu was involved) that essentially eliminated He-man?

In this continuity, I don't think it would have been as rewarding as it was built up in Filmation, Jetlag and MYP. Adam hiding his secret from everyone was a pretty major plot point in those shows. If Adam revealed his secret, it would have been an event to see everyone's reactions. Somehow, I don't think it would have been the same development since we are unaware of how long Adam hid his secret IF he even bothered to do so.

I like the comics as an alternate version of MOTU, but one big criticism I have is that there is no status quo established. From the rip, the world was changed Age of Apocalypse style. Everything is turned upside down, but we don't know what is normal here! That's like reading Flashpoint, Age of Apocaylpse or Heroes Reborn FIRST without knowing the worlds that they changed FROM. The digital comics are bits, pieces and spotlights, but we STILL have no idea what this new canon world is like. At least the old first issue of the original three issue DC MOTU series took the time to establish everything.

Yeah, Skeletor trying to get into Castle Grayskull to learn all of it's secrets is his whole gimmick. What will he do now?

Well come on though, nothing would be the same as seeing the secrets revealed in any of the previous shows. I don't think the reveals needed to be as rewarding as all that to still be worth seeing here, especially since this is all we have and since it's clear from the He-Man origin comic that this version of Adam and Skeletor still started off not knowing each others' secrets just like in previous canons. You mention we've only seen bits and pieces, but what we have seen hasn't been radically different enough to excuse the oversight. Certainly the comic is already using our familiarity with the characters to fuel their "shocks" so it seems disingenuous to have skipped this milestone.

I feel bad that Skeletor is where he is at the end. It reminds me of how badly the Bayformers treated Megatron, making him play second fiddle two movies in a row and then still getting killed in the last one.